Adjustable cap



NOV. l2, 1935. 1 sHAplRo 2,020,582

ADJUSTABLE ,CAP

Filed Feb. l2, 1934 lig] Arme/viv Patented Nov. 12, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ADJUSTABLE CAP Jack Shapiro, University City, Mo.

Application February 12, 1934, Serial No. 710,790

1 Claim. (Cl. 2-197) This invention relates to improvements in caps, and has among its objects the construction of a cap which will be simple in construction, economical and particularly practical in 5 manufacture, neat and attractive in appearance,

and efficient and satisfactory for use for the purpose intended.

One of the main objects of this invention is the production of a cap that may be adjusted over a wide range of head sizes, the means for adjustment being entirely concealed when the cap is in service, and the cap returning to its normal size when removed from the head of the wearer.

16 Another object of my invention is the making of a cap of this kind, in which the visor of the cap will have a neat and close fit with the crown member of the cap, alongv the entire length of the visor, and in which separation of said parts 20 is prevented, although the operation of the sizevarying means is in no wise interfered with.

Many other objects and advantages of the construction herein shown and described, will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains, as will be apparent from the disclosures herein given.

To this end, my invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement, and combination of parts herein shown and described, and more particularly pointed out in the claim.

In the drawing, wherein I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of the invention, like reference characters indicate like or corresponding parts throughout the views.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the cap in full expanded position, with parts broken away adjacent an end of the visor;

Figure 2 is a vertical cross-sectional View through the cap, with the visor detaohably secured to the crown; and

Figure 3 is a top plan View of the cap, with parts broken away to show a partial horizontal cross-section.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, A

indicates the crown of a cap, the crown being of substantially circular shape and may be made in one or more sections, as desired, and may be lined or not. This crown is cut and shaped in 'the usual manner, and in the form shown is provided with a circumferentially extending outward bulge, the lower edge of the crown constituting the head band l of the cap. The circumferential size of this head band denes the lower opening of the cap, or in other words, de-

fines the head size.

The head band may be reinforced in the usual manner with a stiifening tape or the like of suitably strong material (not shown) so that said portion of the cap maintains the desired shape through the life of the cap, and a sweat band or 5 liner 2 may have one edge secured to the head band, this sweat band extending along the inner side of the lower edge or head band of the cap for a suitable distance, as for example, about half the circumference of the head band. A l0 channel housing or tubular member may be formed by securing the upper and lower edges of a strip of cloth 3 to the corresponding edges of the sweat band, somewhat as shown. In this manner a tubular member is formed by said l5 sweat band and strip 3, receiving the reinforcing or stiffening tape hereinbefore mentioned, but it is to be noted that the ends of said tubular member are open for a purpose to be more clear-y ly set forth hereinafter.

At the front of the cap, the head band of the crown is provided with an opening or split, extending upwardly from the lower or free edge of said band to a predetermined distance therefrom, as indicated'at 5. An elongated strip of 25 fabric 5 is secured along both edges to the inside of the head band at each side of said split, said strips extending circumferentially in opposite directions to form tubular members or loops on the inside of the head band, and each loop or 30 tubular member terminating adjacent the ends of the sweat band. These tubular members or loops 6 form a pair of oppositely extending guideways adjacent the lower edge of the head band to receive cooperating guides as will now 35 be described.

The visor B of the cap may be of any size and shape, and in common practice is composed of a relatively stiff piece of material ordinarily of crescent shape, and covered by the same kind of 40 fabric as that from which the crown member is made. The rear edge of the visor is preferably extended as at l, the ends 3 8 of said rear portion of the visor projecting for a considerable distance from the main body portion of the l5 visor, as tabs, insertible into and received in the housings or tubular openings between the sweat band and the strip 3.'

An elongated band, plate or rod of steel or other suitably flexible and sturdy material 0 is 50 closely superimposed on the extension 1 of the visor and extends circumferentially therealong, the ends of said plate or rod 9 being riveted or otherwise securely fastened to said extension 1, and terminating adjacent the tabs 8, at either 55 end. At a point intermediate said ends of the plate, as at its mid-length, the latter is additionally secured, as by said riveting, to the exten* sion 'l of the visor. The band is of a width to easily enter into the loops or guideways at either side of the head band split, and inasmuch as this guide 9 is very closely superimposed on the visor material it will hold the crown head band down closely against the visor extension 1.

The tabs 8-8 at the ends of the rear. of the visor are inserted into the housings or tubular openings; between the sweat band and strip 3 to normally conceal said tabs. From the construction described, it will be seen that with the steel plate or rod threaded through the guideways at either side of the split of the head band of the crown, a limited amount of movement relatively between said visor and head band circumferentially of the cap is permitted, the end rivets of the steel plate to the visor acting as en d stops to limit such movement, and the central rivet acting as another Stop and centralizing this circumferential movement. Any vertical separation between the visor and head band is prevented however, at all points along the length of the band 9, on account of the sturdiness of the latter and because of the interlocking relationship with the guideways of the crown element. Thus, no unsightly appearance is likely to occur, as would happen if the band 9 were limp and weak, and therefore the style and value of the cap is proportionately enhanced.

A separation of the opposite sides of the split will enlarge the head size opening of the cap, and reversely, when the split is closed the size will be approximately smallest. In order to keep the cap at its smallest size when the same is oir" the head, I Vhave provided means for resiliently bringing the sides of the split together to close the same, as by a spring l! having its opposite ends secured to the opposite sides of the split adjacent the lower edge of the same. In this way, the spring will normally retain the cap with the split closed, the enlargement of the head size being against the spring tension.

Thus, there need be no manual adjusting as with buckles or the like when the cap is used, as the cap is easily conformable to the various head sizes, and may be used by successive dif-` ferently sized heads without trouble, the spring maintaining the head band neatly and snugly against the head, and returning the cap to normal size after removal of the cap from the head.

Most of the adjustment is confined to the front portion of the cap, and undue wrinkling of the 10 crown and other undesirable features of the usual adjustable caps will not be present, and the cap will therefore present the same stylish appearance as the normal Xed-'size cap.

Having thus described my invention, it is obvious that various immaterial changes may be made in the same without departing from the spirit of my invention; hence I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the exact form, arrangement, construction, and combination of parts herein shown and described, except as limited by state of the art to which this invention appertains, and the claim hereunto appended.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by 25, Letters Patent is:

An automatically adjustable cap having in combination a crown and a visor, the lower margin of the crown forming a head band, the head band being split to provide adjustability of circumferential measurement, resilient means, the ends of w ich are attached to the crown on opposite sides of the split portion thereof, housings and loops on the head band on both sides of the split'to hold the visor and the crown together, 35"

projections on the ends of the visor seated in the housings, a guide element threaded thru the loops and xed to the visor over which the loops on the opposite sides of the split in the band slide when actuated by the resilient means to 40 automatically adjust the measurement of the cap by telescoping the projections and the housings whereby the head band is kept smooth and unwrinkled in all adjustments thereof.

JACK SHAPIRO. 

